Free The 420 !

Study: Marijuana Appears to Slow Cancer Growth in Laboratory Setting

2009-02-11T21:56:00.000-05:00

Certain marijuana components may suppress the tumors of highly invasive cancers, a new study finds.

In laboratory tests, cannabinoids, the active components in marijuana, were found to slow the spread of lung and cervical cancer tumors, according to researchers Robert Ramer and Burkhard Hinz of the University of Rostock in Germany.

Proponents of medical marijuana believe that cannabinoids reduce the side effects of cancer treatment, such as pain, weight loss and vomiting.

The study, published in the Jan. 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, finds that the compounds may also have an anticancer effect; however, more research is needed to determine whether the laboratory results will hold true in humans, the authors wrote.

Click here for the study.

In addition to suppressing tumor cell invasion, cannabinoids also stimulated the expression of TIMP-1, an inhibitor of a group of enzymes involved in tumor cell invasion.

"To our knowledge, this is the first report of TIMP-1-dependent anti-invasive effects of cannabinoids," the authors wrote. "This signaling pathway may play an important role in the antimetastatic action of cannabinoids, whose potential therapeutic benefit in the treatment of highly invasive cancers should be addressed in clinical trials."

Fox News

Jury Nullification !

2009-02-10T21:04:00.001-05:00

During Prohibition, juries often nullified alcohol control laws, possibly as often as 60% of the time.

This resistance is considered to have contributed to the adoption of the Twenty-first amendment repealing the Eighteenth amendment which established Prohibition.

In the 21st century, many discussions of jury nullification center around drug laws that some consider unjust either in principle or because they are seen to discriminate against certain groups.

A jury nullification advocacy group estimates that 3–4% of all jury trials involve nullification, and a recent rise in hung juries is seen by some as being indirect evidence that juries have begun to consider the validity or fairness of the laws themselves.

MARIJUANA TRIAL: Swift found not guilty; jurors shake hands with defendant

A couple of courthouse observers speculated after the verdict that jurors had engaged in "jury nullification," meaning jurors believed Swift was guilty, but did not believe he deserved punishment, so voted not guilty.

The Words of the Founding Fathers

Jurors should acquit, even against the judge's instruction...
if exercising their judgement with discretion and honesty
they have a clear conviction the charge of the court is wrong.
-- Alexander Hamilton, 1804

It is not only the juror's right, but his duty to find the verdict
according to his own best understanding, judgement and conscience,
though in direct opposition to the instruction of the court.
--John Adams, 1771

I consider trial by jury as the only anchor yet imagined by man
by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.
-- Thomas Jefferson, 1789

It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made
by men of their choice, if the laws are so voluminous that they
cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood;
if they... undergo such incessant changes that no man who knows
what the law is today can guess what it will be tomorrow
-- James Madison

Digg This !!

2009-02-10T18:45:00.001-05:00

Now !!!!

Obama Administration: Surgeon General Nominee Gupta Hates Marijuana, Sort of Supports Medical Use

2009-01-12T17:47:00.000-05:00

Drug reformers busily poring over the tea leaves in an effort to discern the drug policy intentions of the incoming Obama administration have found little solace in the announcement that it will nominate Dr. Sanjay Gupta for the position of surgeon general. One of America's most famous doctors, Gupta is a neurosurgeon who also doubles as a correspondent for CNN and CBS News.

The Obama administration offer came after a two-hour meeting between Gupta and Obama in Chicago in November. At that meeting, Obama told Gupta he would have an expanded role in providing health policy advice and would be the highest-profile surgeon general in history.

Gupta has a history in health policy. He served as a White House fellow in the 1990s, writing speeches and advising Hillary Clinton on health policy issues. He is also an accomplished, telegenic communicator.

While he has received criticism from some quarters for being too friendly with big pharmaceutical companies and from others for wrongly accusing filmmaker Michael Moore of falsehoods in his documentary "Sicko," it is his old-school views on marijuana that are raising hackles in drug reform circles. Most famously, in a November 2006 editorial in Time magazine, Gupta, while acknowledging marijuana's medical benefits for some patients, went on to repeat a raft of long-debunked anti-marijuana myths as reasons for opposing marijuana reform initiatives on the ballot in Nevada and Colorado that week. In Gupta's words:

"Maybe it's because I was born a couple of months after Woodstock and wasn't around when marijuana was as common as iPods are today, but I'm constantly amazed that after all these years -- and all the wars on drugs and all the public-service announcements -- nearly 15 million Americans still use marijuana at least once a month. California and 10 other states have already decriminalized marijuana for medical use. Two states -- Colorado and Nevada -- are considering ballot initiatives that would legalize up to an ounce of pot for personal use by people 21 and older, whether or not there is a medical need.

"What do voters need to know before going to the polls?

"The first is that marijuana isn't really very good for you. True, there are health benefits for some patients. Several recent studies, including a new one from the Scripps Research Institute, show that THC, the chemical in marijuana responsible for the high, can help slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease. (In fact, it seems to block the formation of disease-causing plaques better than several mainstream drugs.) Other studies have shown THC to be a very effective antinausea treatment for people -- cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, for example -- for whom conventional medications aren't working. And medical cannabis has shown promise relieving pain in patients with multiple sclerosis and reducing intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients.

"But I suspect that most of the people eager to vote yes on the new ballot measures aren't suffering from glaucoma, Alzheimer's or chemo-induced nausea. Many of them just want to get stoned legally. That's why I, like many other doctors, am unimpressed with the proposed legislation, which would legalize marijuana irrespective of any medical condition.

"Why do I care? As Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, puts it, "Numerous deleterious health consequences are associated with [marijuana's] short- and long-term use, including the possibility of becoming addicted."

"What are other health consequences? Frequent marijuana use can seriously affect your short-term memory. It can impair your cognitive ability (why do you think people call it dope?) and lead to long-lasting depression or anxiety. While many people smoke marijuana to relax, it can have the opposite effect on frequent users. And smoking anything, whether it's tobacco or marijuana, can seriously damage your lung tissue.

"The Nevada and Colorado marijuana initiatives have gained support from unlikely places. More than 33 religious leaders in Nevada have endorsed the measure, arguing that permissive legalization, accompanied by stringent regulations and penalties, can cut down on illegal drug trafficking and make communities safer.

"Perhaps. But I'm here to tell you, as a doctor, that despite all the talk about the medical benefits of marijuana, smoking the stuff is not going to do your health any good. And if you get high before climbing behind the wheel of a car, you will be putting yourself and those around you in danger."

Whether Gupta if confirmed will support medical marijuana -- as opposed to mere THC-based pharmaceuticals such as Marinol -- or do good for drug policy reform in other ways, remains to be seen. And he did demonstrate a willingness to acknowledge some of the arguments made by the other side. But his apparent blindness to the harm caused to marijuana users by arrest and incarceration is not a great first sign. Change we can believe in for drug policy? Only time will tell.

(here)

German Patients to Receive Medical Marijuana

2008-12-08T19:00:00.002-05:00

(from MPP Blog)

by Bruce Mirken

Germany is about to become the fifth country to allow at least some patients to use natural marijuana as medicine. According to a report from the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine, the German government recently notified four patients that they would be allowed to receive medical marijuana produced under the Dutch government’s medical marijuana program. The German program remains limited to special cases.

Other German patients have been allowed to use a liquid extract made from Dutch cannabis, but for some patients the extract proved unsatisfactory. The patients are expected to receive their supply of whole marijuana around mid-January.

Other than the Netherlands, nations that have some sort of medical marijuana program sanctioned by their national governments — with varying levels of restrictions and limitations — include Canada and Israel. Oh, and the U.S., which still provides medical marijuana to a handful of surviving patients in a program that was closed to new enrollment in 1992. (link)

Michigan's Proposition 1 Takes Effect Legalizing Medicinal Marijuana

2008-12-08T18:41:00.002-05:00

Dec-04-2008 20:39 (salem-news.com)
Michigan's Proposition 1 Takes Effect Legalizing Medicinal Marijuana

Physician Authorizes First Patients for Medical Marijuana in Michigan

(SOUTHFIELD, Mich.) - A national nonprofit organization, THCF Medical Clinics, opened a new medical marijuana clinic Thursday at 2000 Town Center in Southfield. Eric Eisenbud, MD, along with the executive director of THCF, Douglas P. Stanford and several medical marijuana patients, held a press conference this morning in Southfield.

Michigan's marijuana law took effect today, and Dr. Eisenbud issued the first authorizations for patients who have qualifying conditions under the new law.

THCF Medical Clinics have helped over 45,000 patients obtain their state's permit for medical marijuana. The Hemp & Cannabis Foundation (THCF) has offices and has helped implement the medical marijuana laws in seven other states: Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Montana, Hawaii, Nevada and California. Dr. Eisenbud has helped over 3,000 medical marijuana patients in Colorado and Montana.

THCF Medical Clinics does not provide medical marijuana to patients, but provides physicians who can help qualified patients get state authorization. Initially, our patients will receive a physician's statement that exempts them from prosecution and allows them to raise an affirmative defense for medical marijuana if they are currently being prosecuted.

In April 2009, the Michigan Community Health Department will issue new forms and procedures to begin issuing Michigan Medical Marijuana Registry Identification cards.

When those forms are available, Dr. Eisenbud will complete them for all Michigan patients of THCF Medical Clinics.

Medical marijuana was approved in Michigan by 63 percent of voters in Prop 1 in November. Michigan becomes the 13th state to allow medical marijuana, in addition to California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Montana, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island and New Mexico. (link)

U.S. Supreme Court: State Medical Marijuana Laws Not Preempted by Federal Law

2008-12-08T18:29:00.001-05:00

Medical marijuana case appealed by the City of Garden Grove was denied review today

(from safeaccessnow.org- 12-1-08)

Washington, DC -- The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a landmark decision today in which California state courts found that its medical marijuana law was not preempted by federal law. The state appellate court decision from November 28, 2007, ruled that "it is not the job of the local police to enforce the federal drug laws." The case, involving Felix Kha, a medical marijuana patient from Garden Grove, was the result of a wrongful seizure of medical marijuana by local police in June 2005. Medical marijuana advocates hailed today's decision as a huge victory in clarifying law enforcement's obligation to uphold state law. Advocates assert that better adherence to state medical marijuana laws by local police will result in fewer needless arrests and seizures. In turn, this will allow for better implementation of medical marijuana laws not only in California, but in all states that have adopted such laws.

"It's now settled that state law enforcement officers cannot arrest medical marijuana patients or seize their medicine simply because they prefer the contrary federal law," said Joe Elford, Chief Counsel with Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the medical marijuana advocacy organization that represented the defendant Felix Kha in a case that the City of Garden Grove appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. "Perhaps, in the future local government will think twice about expending significant time and resources to defy a law that is overwhelmingly supported by the people of our state."

California medical marijuana patient Felix Kha was pulled over by the Garden Grove Police Department and cited for possession of marijuana, despite Kha showing the officers proper documentation. The charge against Kha was subsequently dismissed, with the Superior Court of Orange County issuing an order to return Kha's wrongfully seized 8 grams of medical marijuana. The police, backed by the City of Garden Grove, refused to return Kha's medicine and the city appealed. Before the 41-page decision was issued a year ago by California's Fourth District Court of Appeal, the California Attorney General filed a "friend of the court" brief on behalf of Kha's right to possess his medicine. The California Supreme Court then denied review in March.

"The source of local law enforcement's resistance to upholding state law is an outdated, harmful federal policy with regard to medical marijuana," said ASA spokesperson Kris Hermes. "This should send a message to the federal government that it's time to establish a compassionate policy more consistent with the 13 states that have adopted medical marijuana laws." (from)

UK scientists decry moves to toughen cannabis laws

2008-11-26T11:58:00.001-05:00

LONDON: A group of senior British scientists has condemned the government's push to toughen the penalties for possessing marijuana, saying in a letter published Tuesday the move ignores scientific evidence.

Britain's House of Lords voted to reclassifying the drug Tuesday, and the House of Commons, Britain's powerful lower house, already approved the measure earlier this month and the Lords' vote is seen as a formality.

The Home Office said it expected the change to come into effect in January.

In Britain, drugs are classified into three different categories with "Class A" the most dangerous. Marijuana is currently classified as a "Class C" drug and the change will upgrade it to "Class B" — something the government argues is necessary in part because of the increasing potency of some cannabis varieties.

The change would reverse the relaxation of British cannabis laws in 2004 and ignore the recommendations of a government drug advisory council.
(more)

California Supreme Court Unanimously Limits Medical Marijuana Defense

2008-11-26T11:52:00.001-05:00

Monday, November 25, 2008

Roger Mentch, a medical marijuana patient who provided medical marijuana and advice to several other medical marijuana patients was arrested in 2003 for distribution of marijuana. During his trial, he was not allowed to put forth a defense that his actions were protected as a primary caregiver under California’s Compassionate Use Act. Mentch was convicted and given three years of probation.

He later appealed his case, but this Monday the California Supreme Court upheld the trial court’s original ruling in a 7-0 decision. The Court has narrowly defined who is a legitimate caregiver under the Compassionate Use Act, and according to the Court, someone whose caregiving consisted primarily of providing marijuana and counseling on its use is not protected.

As a result of this decision, individuals who assist patients with cultivation and administration of medical marijuana are now more vulnerable to arrest and prosecution under California law. Other states—such as New Mexico—recognize the important role that caregivers play in providing and advising patients regarding medical marijuana and have wisely drafted their laws with broader, more protective caregiver language than California.

(more)

Court ruling will limit solo pot providers

2008-11-25T13:54:00.001-05:00

(11-24) 14:41 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- Someone who supplies marijuana to a patient who has a doctor's approval for it can be prosecuted for dealing drugs, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday in a narrow interpretation of California's medical marijuana law.

Advocates on both sides of the case agreed that the unanimous ruling will encourage Californians to obtain medical marijuana from patient cooperatives, which are authorized by a 2003 state law, rather than from an individual supplier.

"Ideally, it (the ruling) won't have a tremendous effect," said Joseph Elford, a lawyer for Americans for Safe Access, a pro-medical marijuana group. "Patients will now increasingly get their medication through collectives and cooperatives."

The 2003 law "provides an alternative outlet for patients," agreed Deputy Attorney General Michele Swanson, the state's lawyer. She said Monday's ruling applies only to a category of suppliers - those who are not the patient's caretaker or fellow cooperative member - whom the voters never intended to protect when they passed Proposition 215 in 1996.

But Lawrence Gibbs, attorney for the Santa Cruz County man who appealed his marijuana-dealing convictions, said the court "made it much, much more difficult for qualified patients to get their medical marijuana."

Although patients can turn to cooperatives or clubs, Gibbs said, the resulting centralization of cultivation and supply will make raids and prosecutions much easier for federal authorities, who are not bound by Prop. 215. President-elect Barack Obama said during the campaign that he supports a state's right to legalize the medical use of marijuana, but believes it should be subject to regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The ruling is the second time this year the state Supreme Court has limited the scope of Prop. 215, which allowed patients to grow and use marijuana with a doctor's recommendation.
(more)

Marijuana expert speaks at university

2008-11-25T13:39:00.003-05:00

By Hannah Guzik
Tidings correspondent

Ed Rosenthal stood before 400 pot plants on the stage Sunday at Southern Oregon University, as he taught locals how to successfully grow medical marijuana and grew heated himself as he railed against state laws restricting how many plants a patient can have.

There was no actual pot present at the gathering, save for the occasional smell of it on people's clothes; instead, Rosenthal projected photographs of the plants onto a large screen to a crowd of about 50 at Meese Auditorium.

Rosenthal, considered an expert in the field and author of more than a dozen books on marijuana, traveled from California to give the lecture, which raised money for SOU's Students For Truth group and Voter Power, an Oregon medical marijuana activist organization with an office in Medford.

Voter Power is working to collect 130,000 signatures to get a measure on the state's 2010 ballot that, if passed, would allow medical marijuana dispensaries to be set up, like in California. Under existing laws, Oregon patients can grow up to six plants for themselves, or have a registered grower cultivate the same amount for them.

"It's high time that people in Oregon have access to medicine when they need it," Rosenthal said before his lecture. "Nobody should be deprived of medicine when they need it."

One of the benefits of the dispensary system is that patients have access to pharmaceutical-grade pot and different tinctures of marijuana, he said.

"Patients need the best medicine they can get," Rosenthal added. (more)

Fuck the Feds

2008-11-24T15:17:00.001-05:00

Modesto men sentenced in medical pot case

The Associated Press
Posted: 11/21/2008 07:08:05 PM PST

FRESNO, Calif.—Two men who ran a medical marijuana dispensary in Modesto are headed to prison after being convicted of running a criminal enterprise.
A federal judge in Fresno on Friday sentenced 28-year-old Luke Scarmazzo to nearly 22 years and 28-year-old Ricardo Montes to 20 years for manufacturing marijuana and possessing it with intent to distribute.

Drug Enforcement Administration officials say records at the clinic, called the California Healthcare Collective, showed the pair made more than $4.5 million in marijuana sales from October 2004 to June 2006.

Two jurors said last month they wanted the men to get a new trial after voting for conviction, then learning later that the punishment was so steep. (here)

Fresno County Issues Medical Marijuana ID Cards

2008-11-24T14:49:00.000-05:00

By Gene Haagenson

11/22/2008 Fresno, CA, USA -- Five years after voters in the state approved a measure allowing marijuana use for medicinal purposes, Fresno County has agreed to issue marijuana ID cards.

If you have a note from a doctor saying you need pot, and $107, you can get a card allowing you to be in possession of a small quantity of marijuana, for medical use.
Jena Adams, Fresno County Health Department, says "The card will allow them to possess and to grow a certain amount of marijuana and to use for their medical purposes."

It's welcome news to Diana Kirby. She uses marijuana for pain management and other medical problems. She'll be first in line to get a marijuana card. It will keep her from being arrested. "Actually it makes the police officers life a little easier and it takes a little of the fright from most of us who have to travel somewhere to get our medication."

The Fresno County Health Department is offering a packet of information on how to get a card. The information is also online. They key is a Doctor's note saying the patient needs marijuana. "We do not need to know the diagnosis, just that they qualify," says Adams.

While California law enforcement officers will not arrest someone who has pot and a valid card, it's still a federal crime. But Action News legal analyst and attorney, Tony Capozzi says the feds won't get involved unless someone has a lot of pot, or is selling it. "The federal government won't come in an prosecute someone who is using it for medical purposes, so long as the possession of that marijuana is in small quantities," says Capozzi.

Those who operate marijuana dispensaries are still subject to federal prosecution. In Fresno County possession of 6 mature, or a dozen immature plants and 8 ounces of pot will be allowed with a valid marijuana card. Cards can be applied for now. They won't be issued until December 2nd.

The intent of the law is to allow those who have a medical need for marijuana to be able to get it. It's not for recreational users. (here)

Pulling the lid off pot

2008-08-11T14:35:00.001-04:00

(from the Seattle Times)

Marijuana has an image problem.

That's not the only problem with it, but its image probably keeps it lurking in the shadows: People who smoke pot are unkempt, unruly, counterculture. Best just to drink scotch or pop OxyContin.

If marijuana had the ad agencies that cigarettes have had, it would be legal, too.

I'm not craving a joint. It's not my thing, but I noticed that Hempfest is coming up this weekend.

Speakers at the Seattle festival will try mightily to pull the weed from darkness.

I agree with them that it makes sense to decriminalize marijuana use.

Bring it out into the light, regulate it, tax it, put trafficking gangs out of business and let police and courts do more important work.

Rick Steves, the travel entrepreneur from Edmonds, will be one of the main speakers at Hempfest.

We had a story in our paper Friday about a television program he and the ACLU made to get people talking about marijuana laws (marijuanaconversation.org).

Some local television stations were not willing to air the TV show, though I can't think of a station that hasn't carried entertainment programs in which weed played a part.

I guess it's like sex, which you can display a bit, but not discuss seriously.

Outlawing grass doesn't seem to have the intended effect, assuming the intent is to keep people from using.

According to the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, more than 83 million Americans older than 12 have used marijuana.

Marijuana production earns billions every year.

Think of what we could do with the taxes on legal marijuana. And we'd save the $7.5 billion a year the nation spends enforcing pot laws.

One of the big raps against pot is the idea that using it leads to using more dangerous drugs.

The other day, I asked a roomful of people about marijuana. One man, an educator, said that when he was in high school in 1972, he had a drug-education class.

The kids were told marijuana was the same as heroin.

The ones who experimented with it found out it wasn't, and some went on to try heroin figuring that since marijuana hadn't done them in and heroin was the same, it wouldn't hurt either. How's that for a gateway effect?

I'm sure arresting people for using pot has a gateway effect. A little time in jail gives a person the opportunity to learn more about other drugs and bigger crimes.

But if marijuana were legal, we could institute some controls and even have serious conversations about it.

I spoke with Steves, who is in Belgium. He said his interest started with "knowing so many people who were closet smokers but couldn't talk about it. I thought, 'What if everybody agreed [it should be decriminalized] but was too afraid to speak out.' "

He figured maybe people would listen to a straight-laced businessman.

Steves is pushing democracy, not pot. It bothers him that Americans shrink from discussing drug laws.

That's a truly sorry image.

Jerry Large's column appears Monday and Thursday. Reach him at 206-464-3346 or jlarge@seattletimes.com.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

State Supreme Court narrows probable-cause grounds in pot case

2008-07-19T11:55:00.000-04:00

Law-enforcement officers who smell marijuana coming from a vehicle can't arrest all of the occupants, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

By Leslie Anne Jones

Seattle Times staff reporter

Law-enforcement officers who detect the odor of marijuana from a vehicle can't arrest all of the occupants, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

In a unanimous ruling, the court determined the smell of pot isn't enough probable cause to warrant the arrest and search of everyone inside a car. While smell alone may be reason for a vehicle search, the court determined, it doesn't warrant handcuffing passengers without other supporting evidence.

Defense attorneys on Thursday called it a right-to-privacy victory. Law-enforcement officers say it won't greatly affect the way they make arrests.

The ruling stems from a traffic stop in April 2006 in Skagit County.

Jeremy Grande was riding in a car driven by Lacee Hurley when they were pulled over by State Patrol Trooper Brent Hanger, court documents said. Hanger stopped the car for windows too darkly tinted, he testified.

Hanger said he smelled pot in the car, so he arrested and handcuffed Grande and Hurley, court documents said.

A search of Grande revealed a glass pipe with marijuana in his pocket, according to court papers. Hanger searched the car and found a joint in an ashtray, which Hurley said belonged to her, court documents said. Both were charged with marijuana possession. Grande was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, court documents said.

The case initially came before the Skagit County District Court, which found there was no probable cause for Grande's arrest. But the state appealed the ruling and the county's Superior Court reversed the order, court documents said. The case was appealed to the state Supreme Court.

Summing up the state Supreme Court's decision, Justice Charles W. Johnson wrote: "Our state constitution protects our individual privacy, meaning that we are free from unnecessary police intrusion into our private affairs unless a police officer can clearly associate the crime with the individual." In the case of the Skagit County traffic stop, the court found the mere presence of the odor of marijuana was not enough probable cause to warrant the arrest of Grande.

Attorney David Zuckerman, who brought the case before the state Supreme Court, said the problem is that arresting someone based solely on the odor of marijuana can affect innocents.

"The smell of marijuana smoke can linger for weeks," Zuckerman said. "You could have a perfectly innocent citizen get into a car where somebody smoked marijuana at some point ... and an officer can just pull you out of a car and book you based on that."

Zuckerman said Grande was delighted with the decision. (more)

Medical Marijuana: Employment Rights Bill Passes California Assembly

2008-05-29T23:37:00.000-04:00

A medical marijuana employment rights bill that would protect California patients from being fired because their medication is marijuana passed the California Assembly Wednesday. Introduced by leading legislative medical marijuana defender Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), and cosponsored by Assemblymembers Patty Berg (D-Eureka), Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley) and Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego), the bill, AB 2279, would overturn a January California Supreme Court decision, Ross v. Raging Wire.

In that case, the state Supreme Court upheld the ability of employers to fire employees who test positive for marijuana even if they are patients. That decision left the state's estimated 150,000 registered medical marijuana patients facing renewed job insecurity.

AB 2279 would undo that ruling. It would "declare it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a person in hiring, termination, or any term or condition of employment or otherwise penalize a person, if the discrimination is based upon the person's status as a qualified patient or primary caregiver, or a positive drug test for marijuana, except as specified."

The bill also provides authorization for those who have been discriminated against by employers because of their medical marijuana use to sue for damages, seek injunctions and other appropriate relief. It would not prevent an employer from firing an employee who is impaired on the job because of medical marijuana use.

"AB 2279 is not about being under the influence while at work. That's against the law, and will remain so," said Leno, the bill's author. "It's about allowing patients who are able to work safely and who use their doctor-recommended medication in the privacy of their own homes, to not be arbitrarily fired from their jobs. The voters who supported Proposition 215 did not intend for medical marijuana patients to be forced into unemployment in order to benefit from their medicine," Leno continued.

"The California Assembly has acted to protect the right of patients to work and be productive members of society," said Joe Elford, Chief Counsel with Americans for Safe Access, the medical marijuana advocacy group that argued the case before the Court and is now a supporter of the bill. "The state Senate now has the important task of passing this bill with the aim to protect the jobs of thousands of Californians with serious illnesses such as
cancer and HIV/AIDS."

"It's important that we not allow employment discrimination in California," said Gary Ross, the former plaintiff in Ross v. Raging Wire. "If the Court is going to ignore the need for protection, then it's up to the legislature to ensure that productive workers like me are free from discrimination."

The bill has broad support from labor, business, civil rights, and medical groups. It now heads to the state Senate.
(more)

Editorial: Dying over drug politics

2008-05-27T22:36:00.000-04:00

Past time to resolve conflict

Thursday, May 22, 2008

The conflict over state and federal medical marijuana laws must be resolved.

California and 12 other states now allow the use of medical marijuana, yet the federal government does not.

That means sick people with authorization from their doctors to use marijuana are still in legal jeopardy, that California employers can fire workers who use marijuana recommended by a physician, and that people in need of an organ transplant can be barred from organ-transplant waiting lists.

Too bad there is not a common-sense transplant.

The Star wrote last month about a Seattle man, Timothy Garon, denied a spot on an organ-transplant list because he had used medical marijuana, authorized by his physician, for symptoms related to Hepatitis C.

The University of Washington Medical Center, which has strict rules about organ recipients' drug use, denied Mr. Garon a shot at a new liver, in part, because marijuana is illegal under federal law.

He died May 1.

Now, the University of Washington Medical Center is using the same sorry reason to deny a spot on its organ-transplant list to Jonathon Simchen, 33, of Seattle, according to a May 19 article in The Los Angeles Times.

The Times reported Mr. Simchen, a diabetic with failing kidneys and pancreas, was also denied a spot in Seattle's Virginia Mason Hospital transplant program because of his use of medical marijuana.

Mr. Simchen cannot afford to wait for Congress to get around to resolving the state-federal law conflict. It has already been three years since the U.S. Supreme Court recommended that Congress act.

However, medical centers do not have to base life-and-death decisions on the federal government's inane, outdated 1970s drug-war policies.

There is no reason why, in 2008, marijuana is listed as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it is deemed to have no medical use, when drugs such as cocaine and morphine are listed as Schedule 2 drugs, available by prescription.

Medical-marijuana use, authorized by a physician, should never be a reason for denying anyone a shot at receiving a life-saving organ transplant. Indeed, people in need of organ transplants are some of the most-likely people to benefit from medical marijuana.

We understand there might be political risks to a member of Congress who takes this on. What we don't understand is why any physician would put politics before patients.

more

Guy talking about his medical marijuana use

2008-05-27T11:42:00.000-04:00

Los Angeles Times: marijuana and organ transplants don't mix

2008-05-27T11:38:00.000-04:00

Patients who have used doctor-prescribed pot are being turned away from
hospital transplant programs.

By Stuart Glascock
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

May 19, 2008

SEATTLE — Should using doctor-prescribed marijuana be a deal-breaker for
someone needing an organ transplant? It is not a theoretical question but a
pressing and emotional one confronting hospitals and patients in states
where medical use of marijuana is legal.

This month, Timothy Garon, 56, a Seattle musician, died after being turned
down for a liver transplant. He was rejected partly because he had used
medical marijuana.

Now, a second critically ill patient in Washington state says he has been
denied a spot in two organ transplant programs because he uses
doctor-prescribed marijuana.

Jonathon Simchen, 33, of Fife, a town south of Seattle, is a diabetic whose
kidneys and pancreas have failed.

He said he was removed from the transplant program at Virginia Mason
Hospital in Seattle because he admitted using medical marijuana. Later, he
said, University of Washington Medical Center transplant officials refused
to accept him because of the medical marijuana issue.

"I'm just so discouraged," said the community college student, who wants to
be a teacher. "I've lost all remnants of hope. I look at my life right now
as if it is a prison term. I just have to serve each day."

The lawyer who represented Garon has taken on Simchen's case.

Douglas Hiatt argues that his clients are the victims of a loosely defined
transplant policy, one not based on science.

"They are really killing people over this," he said. (more)

Death of Medical Marijuana Patient Denied Organ Transplant Shines a Light on the Federal Government's Absurd Marijuana Policy

2008-05-05T22:02:00.002-04:00

ACLU

Timothy Garon, a 56-year old Seattle-based musician, died last night from liver failure due to hepatitis C. Like so many critically ill people in the United States, he needed an organ transplant to survive. Unfortunately, the University of Washington Medical Center decided to deny Garon a new liver. Because donated organs are in such scarce supply, patients often remain on long transplant waiting lists or are denied an organ altogether if they fail to meet certain criteria established by transplant committees. Some common reasons for denial are that alcoholic patients continue to drink, those addicted to cigarettes continue to smoke, and those addicted to illegal drugs continue to use.

But Garon was not an alcoholic or drug addict. He did not get a new liver because he used a medicine recommended by his doctor to ease severe abdominal pain, nausea and lack of appetite. Were this medicine any other pill or prescription, Garon would have likely had his new liver and a chance to live out a full life. The problem is that Garon’s medicine was marijuana. The Associated Press reported Garon’s story on April 26:

Timothy Garon's face and arms are hauntingly skeletal, but the fluid building up in his abdomen makes the 56-year-old musician look eight months pregnant. His liver, ravaged by hepatitis C, is failing. Without a new one, his doctors tell him, he will be dead in days.

But Garon's been refused a spot on the transplant list, largely because he has used marijuana, even though it was legally approved for medical reasons.

If Garon was legally using medical marijuana, what’s the problem? Medical marijuana is legal under Washington’s state law, but remains illegal under federal law. There’s the rub. The federal government has refused to ease its criminal prohibition on the medical use of marijuana despite the fact that twelve states have made medical marijuana legal, the vast majority (upwards of 70 percent) of the American public thinks that medical marijuana should be made legally available to patients, and the American College of Physicians recently called on the federal government to acknowledge the medical uses of marijuana and remove it from its classification as a “Schedule I” drug, which subjects users to stiff criminal penalties.(more)

Pot eased suffering, may have cost his life

2008-05-05T21:15:00.001-04:00

Legal medical marijuana use bars transplant

P-I STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

The death this week of a musician who was three times denied a liver transplant highlights a new ethical concern: When dying patients need a transplant, should it be held against them if they've used marijuana with a doctor's blessing?

Timothy Garon, 56, died Thursday at Bailey-Boushay House. He was the lead singer for Nearly Dan, a Steely Dan cover-band.

His lawyer, Douglas Hiatt, said that although no one told him why Garon was turned down for a transplant, he suspects it was because he used marijuana with medical approval, as allowed under state law, to ease the symptoms of advanced hepatitis C.

Garon died a week after a University of Washington Medical Center committee had for the second time denied him a spot on the liver transplant list. Harborview Medical Center previously turned him down. No reasons were given for the denials, Hiatt said.

Harborview said he would be considered if he avoided pot for six months, and the UW Medical Center offered to reconsider if he enrolled in a 60-day drug treatment program, but doctors said his liver disease was too advanced for him to last that long, Hiatt said. The university hospital committee agreed to reconsider anyway, then denied him again.

"When a doctor authorizes medical marijuana, it's like a prescription," Hiatt said. "Telling a dying guy in his shape to wait 60 days is insulting and sickening in my opinion." (please read)

Medical marijuana user dies for lack of liver transplant

2008-05-02T01:30:00.001-04:00

A musician who was denied a liver transplant because he used marijuana with medical approval under Washington state law to ease the symptoms of advanced hepatitis C died Thursday.

The death of Timothy Garon, 56, at Bailey-Boushay House, an intensive care nursing center was confirmed to The Associated Press by his lawyer, Douglas Hiatt, and Alisha Mark, a spokeswoman for Virginia Mason Medical Center, which operates Bailey-Boushay.

Dr. Brad Roter, the physician who authorized Garon to smoke pot to alleviate for nausea and abdominal pain and to stimulate his appetite, said he did not know it would be such a hurdle if Garon were to need a transplant.

The case has highlighted a new ethical consideration for those allocating organs for transplant, especially in the dozen states that have medical marijuana laws: When dying patients need a transplant, should it be held against them if they've used pot with a doctor's blessing?

Garon died a week after his doctor told him a University of Washington Medical Center committee had again denied him a spot on the liver transplant list because of his use of marijuana, although it was authorized under Washington state law.

"He said I'm going to die with such conviction," Garon told an AP reporter at the time. "I'm not angry, I'm not mad, I'm just confused."

Garon believes he contracted hepatitis C by sharing needles with "speed freaks" as a teenager. In recent years, he said, pot has been the only drug he's used. In December, he was arrested for growing marijuana.

He had been in the hospice for two months and previously was rejected for a transplant at Swedish Medical Center for the same reason he later got from the university hospital.

Swedish said he would be considered if he avoided pot for six months and the university hospital offered to reconsider if he enrolled in a 60-day drug treatment program, but doctors said his liver disease was too advanced for him to last that long. The university hospital committee agreed to reconsider anyway, then denied him again.(here)

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

Federal Legislation Considers New Approach to Marijuana Possession

2008-04-29T15:56:00.000-04:00

ACLU Blog

Friday, April 25, 2008

For the first time in a quarter of a century, legislation has been introduced in Congress that would eliminate federal criminal sanctions for possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Considering that 89 percent of the mind-boggling 829,625 people arrested for marijuana law offenses in 2006 — the most recent year for which data is available — were arrested for mere possession, the bi-partisan “Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008” would go a long way toward increasing public safety by freeing up our federal law enforcement resources to focus on serious, violent crime. Taxpayers are stuck with the multibillion dollar bill for these hundreds of thousands of marijuana arrests, which consume 4.5 million law enforcement hours — the equivalent of taking 112,500 law enforcement officers off the streets.

Unfortunately, it will be an uphill battle for the bill’s co-sponsors, Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Ron Paul (R-Texas), to move it through the current Congress.

It shouldn’t be. According to a 2001 Zogby poll, 61 percent of Americans oppose arresting and jailing nonviolent marijuana users, while a 2002 Time/CNN poll found that 72 percent of Americans think people arrested for marijuana possession should face fines rather than jail time. Yet, legislators remain under the impression that support for marijuana law reform would brand them with a stigma as soft-on-crime. That’s a shame for the three-quarters of a million small-time marijuana offenders who this year will be branded with the stigma of arrest, leading to employment discrimination, loss of financial aid for college and other public assistance, loss of child custody, and oftentimes imprisonment.

Way back in 1972, a special commission created by Congress and President Richard Nixon concluded that states and the federal government should decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use, finding that the harms of marijuana laws outweigh the potential harms of marijuana use. Although the federal government disregarded the report, 12 states followed its recommendation to decriminalize marijuana possession. Significantly, a 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine commissioned by the Office of National Drug Control Policy found no difference in marijuana use rates between states that have decriminalized marijuana and those that have continued to make arrests for marijuana possession.

Now is a unique opportunity to tell our elected leaders that our nation’s unsound marijuana laws are not tough-on-crime — but they are tough on taxpayers’ wallets and public safety. Please urge your Congressional Representative to co-sponsor and support this historic legislation by sending a personalized message to your Congressional Representative.

This may be the first dude to die from smoking weed. And it was prescribed!

2008-04-28T23:00:00.005-04:00

Okay check out this article. It's like barely a paragraph. There are so many issues to talk about here. But if the article is correct....which it better be, this dude( i bet cool dude because I like Steely Dan too, and I have really good taste) is going to die because he took prescribed medicine....what the fuck? i'm in a hurry so fuck the dumb shit like english....

This will not be in the national news even tho there are two bills about this very subjuect before congress right now... what the fuck is that. our country is fucked up. i'm not even talking about the serious shit like WWI, WWII, vietnam, afganistan, pearl harbor, 9-11, religion, education, health care system.... i am just talking about fucking weed... i am about to flip. i cant live like this.

I'm on this all week, at least. I'm writing everyone. I hope you help. More coming, dave

here it is... dude i could memorize this and i am the worlds biggest pot head.. its a joke...

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEATTLE -- The University of Washington Medical Center says a 56-year-old man dying of a failing liver can not be considered for a transplant.

The reason? Timothy Garon used medical marijuana for the relief of symptoms of hepatitis C. He can't understand why he was denied a place on the transplant waiting list.

Doctors say drug use is one of the factors they consider in deciding whether a patient is likely to be able to handle the treatment regimen required of people who have transplants.

Garon is the lead singer for Nearly Dan, a Steely Dan cover-band. He remains charged with manufacturing marijuana for his arrest in December at a rental home in Mountlake Terrace.(check it out here and please let me know what you think)

It's time for team owners to stand up for their players.

2008-04-28T22:16:00.004-04:00

The off season is the off season.... He shouldn't have to lie to his fans. Dave

DALLAS - Hours before the Dallas Mavericks’ biggest game of the season, forward Josh Howard went on the radio Friday to talk about something else — his fondness for marijuana.

It was quite a follow-up to teammate Jerry Stackhouse calling opposing coach Byron Scott “a sucker in my book” on local airwaves.

Howard’s comments are more serious because marijuana use is illegal and eligible for punishment from the NBA. It’s a topic he’s addressed before, but never so publicly, so close to tipping off such an important game, as the Mavericks were down 0-2 in their first-round series against the New Orleans Hornets.

“Most of the players in the league use marijuana and I have and do partake in smoking weed in the offseason sometimes,” Howard told The Michael Irvin Show on the local ESPN affiliate. “I mean, that’s my personal choice and my personal opinion, but I don’t think that’s stopping me from doing my job.”(more)

Please check out the poll on this page and vote.

2008-04-28T21:51:00.002-04:00

Saturday, April 26, 2008
Readers vote to legalize pot after center reopens
Nature's Wellness Collective in Orange dispensing medical marijuana again after March raid.

By EUGENE W. FIELDS

ORANGE – Less than two months after being raided by federal agents, Nature's Wellness Collective is once again dispensing marijuana for medicinal purposes.

City officials say the dispensary, which reopened Wednesday, should expect more raids in the future.

Bob Adams, owner of the dispensary on 830 E. Lincoln Ave., said Drug Enforcement Agency agents toting AK-47 automatic rifles raided the facility March 4. Adams, 44, said his marijuana was confiscated and he was detained and taken to the DEA offices in Santa Ana, where he was questioned for three hours and then released. No charges were filed against him.

"I'm not a criminal. I'm not a bad guy and I'm not a drug dealer," Adams said. "If I was going to deal drugs, I'd do it a lot differently than this."Vote here! We are already killing it, lets help!!)

Email from MPP about California

2008-04-25T17:36:00.001-04:00

Marijuana Policy Project
Marijuana Policy Project Alert: Calif. April 23, 2008

URGENT: Please help pass landmark medical marijuana legislation in California

Dear Dave Corn,

Next Tuesday, April 29, the California State Assembly's Committee on Public Safety will be conducting a hearing on AB 2743 — a bill authored by Assembly Member Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego) that would prohibit state and local law enforcement from assisting with federal raids on medical marijuana patients and providers.

Please take a few minutes to send a message to the committee members letting them know that you support AB 2743 because local peace officers should respect California's well-established medical marijuana laws.

Taking action is easy. Just visit MPP's action page, enter your information, and send an e-mail to the committee. If you are a patient or medical professional, please modify the message to include that information.

With your help, we can pass this ambitious legislation, which will dramatically improve protections for California's medical marijuana patients and providers.

Most federal raids on California's medical marijuana facilities rely on significant help from local law enforcement agencies; in many cases, local agents have even asked federal agents to raid patients and providers. AB 2743 will create a policy of respecting the state's protections for medical marijuana patients and their providers.

Thank you for taking action to support our state's right to self determination and safe access to medical marijuana for seriously ill and injured patients. Making contact with state policymakers is one of the most effective ways to help change the laws.

Please don't forget to forward this message on to friends, family, and co-workers in California, so that they too can take action.

Sincerely,

Aaron Smith
California Organizer
Marijuana Policy Project

P.S. The committee will be holding a hearing on AB 2743 Tuesday, April 29 at 9:00 a.m. in Sacramento. If you are a patient or dispensing collective staffer who might be interested in attending, please e-mail ASmith@mpp.org.

Two Medical Marijuana Bills Introduced in House

2008-04-25T17:24:00.001-04:00

Washington, D.C. - Two bills introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives last week would put a serious dent into federal prosecution of medical use of marijuana and offer protection to patients who use it.

Representative Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) is a leader on both measures, which were introduced April 17. The Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act (HR 5842) would reschedule marijuana a from a Schedule I to a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act. The change would allow physicians to recommend use of marijuana under conditions set by state law.

The other bill, the Act to Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults (HR 5843) would eliminate federal penalties for the possession of small amounts (up to 100 grams) or not-for-profit transfer of small amounts (up to one ounce, 28.3 grams) of marijuana. It would create a civil penalty of $100 for the public use of marijuana.

The bill would not legalize growing or distribution of commercial quantities of marijuana, nor would it affect any state laws.

"When doctors recommend the use of marijuana for their patients and states are willing to permit it, I think it's wrong for the federal government to subject either the doctors or the patients to criminal prosecution," Frank said in introducing the measures.(more)

Editorial: Medical marijuana merits state support

2008-04-17T11:36:00.004-04:00

Doctors should decide if it's the best treatment for patients.

At a time when researchers are plunging into the rainforest in search of new medicines, there's growing consensus that a humble herb easily cultivated here may help patients struggling with cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other painful, difficult-to-manage conditions.

The herb, whose slim, multi-pronged leaf makes it instantly recognizable, is marijuana. The Minnesota Senate has already approved a measure that would make Minnesota the 13th state to legalize its medical use. The House will likely vote this spring. Lawmakers, as well as the governor, should give the bill careful yet open-minded consideration and make it a reality.

•Patients could possess 2.5 ounces of marijuana but could not grow their own.

• Authorized users would carry a state-issued ID card.

• Lighting up in public places would be prohibited.

• Marijuana would be an out-of-pocket expense; insurance plans would not be required to cover it.(more)

******P.S.******

I noticed they didn't mention any mental conditions(like California voters did). Most states aren't allowing medical marijuana use for mental conditions. Also I noticed that the Marijuana Policy Project never mentions it for use for mental conditions. And their group is working mostly toward medical marijuana law reform. It might be because it seems like all the studies I've seen have been mixed. But that's why we need more federal funding for research. Check out the next article too.

Trouble in Prozac Nation

The possibility that a group of widely prescribed antidepressants, including Prozac and Paxil, might trigger suicide and other violence in a small percentage of users has been the subject of isolated reports in the major media since they first arrived on the market. Recently, however, the concern has been recognized by the federal government. In June, following actions taken by British drug authorities, the FDA released a statement recommending that physicians refrain from prescribing Paxil to new patients under 18.

Paxil is one of a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Studies funded by the drug's maker, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), showed it was no more effective than placebos for treating pediatric depression. The same studies also showed an increased occurrence of emotional disturbance in those taking it. The likelihood of a suicide attempt, for example, was about three times greater for Paxil users than for those taking placebos. In August, Wyeth pharmaceuticals drew essentially the same conclusions about its antidepressant Effexor, sending out a two-page letter to healthcare workers stating it may not be safe for pediatric use. This led to the FDA's reanalyzing data for Effexor and several other SSRIs, and in October the FDA issued an advisory citing similar findings for Celexa, Effexor, Prozac and Zoloft. In December drug authorities in Britain banned all but one SSRI from use by children because of evidence that they can cause children to become suicidal. The consistency of these findings suggests that perhaps the FDA should be taking actions that should have been taken long ago to curb adult use of SSRIs. (more)

Minnesota: TV Ad Backs Medical Marijuana Use

2008-04-16T18:46:00.000-04:00

A new TV ad, featuring a woman suffering from extreme back pain, is the first in a new series meant to urge Governor Tim Pawlently not to veto a bill in order to protect suffering Minnesotans from arrest for using medical marijuana under a doctor’s recommendation.

The ad will begin running on broadcast and cable station throughout Minnesota later this week. It is the story of Lynn Rubenstein Nicholson of Minneapolis who suffers intractable pain after enduring 10 surgeries following a back injury.

"Really, the only thing that gave me relief was marijuana. It's not ok to break the law...” Nicholson says in the ad of her struggle to find relief from the constant pain that keeps her bedridden most of the time. “I am tired of being a criminal. Please Gov. Pawlently, do not veto the medical marijuana bill.”

The bill succeeded to pass in the Senate last year and the House Ways and Means Committee, 13-4, April 9 and is heading to the House floor for a vote soon, but Gov. Tim Pawlently has threatened to veto it if it passes.

“The governor has threatened a veto after hearing from certain aspects of the law enforcement community. Hopefully, before he finalizes his decision, he will also consider the opinions of the hundreds of doctors, thousands of nurses, multitude of medical associations, the vast majority of Minnesotans and suffering patients like Lynn, who all support this bill,” said Neal Levine, director of state campaigns for the Marijuana Policy Project, according to the Minnesota Public Radio. (more)

Marijuana can prevent cancer, not cause it

2008-04-16T16:18:00.000-04:00

The Office of National Drug Control Policy has been spending millions of taxpayer dollars on advertisements and printed material declaring that marijuana causes cancer. The truth is just the opposite - marijuana can prevent cancer. Recent research has shown that the cannabinoids found in marijuana can not only halt the spread of cancer but can also kill cancer cells.

A study conducted in 2005 by Dr. Donald Tashkin at the UCLA School of Medicine demonstrated that people who smoke marijuana are at less risk of developing lung cancer than tobacco smokers. The study of 2,200 people in Los Angeles found that even heavy marijuana smokers were no more likely to develop lung, head or neck cancer than non-users. In comparison, tobacco users' risk of cancer increases the more they smoke.

Data in Dr. Tashkin's study suggest that people who smoke marijuana are less likely to develop lung cancer than people who do not smoke anything at all. Since marijuana smoke contains the same cancer-causing agents as tobacco and the only difference between the nonsmokers and the marijuana smokers was their use of cannabis, then it is not an unreasonable hypothesis that marijuana can prevent the development of cancer.(more)

UI Scientists Seek Marijuana Smokers For Study

2008-04-16T16:15:00.000-04:00

April 12, 2008--A group of University of Iowa scientists is looking for marijuana smokers to help gain insight into the drug's effects. And they plan to pay subjects as much as 600 dollars to smoke their pot.

The study examines how marijuana affects brain function and cognition, with particular attention to the duration of use and the age of first use. The measure is brain imaging studies and achievement tests, such as for math and verbal skills.

Robert Block is an associate professor in the school's Department of Anesthesia and the lead investigator on the project. He says the group is looking for pot users and control subjects who consume alcohol and tobacco -- but not marijuana -- to participate in the study.

Subjects receive 20 dollars for an initial screening session. Those that participate fully pocket 600 dollars.

Block said that, depending on the results, the study might ultimately be used to support political positions on marijuana. Those could include whether there should be harsher criminal penalties, whether it should be decriminalized, or whether it should be allowed for medicinal purposes.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Texas Patient Wins Landmark Acquittal in Medical Marijuana Case

2008-04-16T16:13:00.000-04:00

(Long Island, N.Y.) A Texas patient who uses medical marijuana to treat the symptoms of HIV won acquittal on marijuana possession charges March 25 based on a “necessity defense.”
Though such a defense - which requires the defendant to establish that an otherwise illegal act was necessary to avoid imminent harm more serious than the harm prevented by the law he or she broke - has rarely been successful in Texas, the jury took just 11 minutes to acquit Tim Stevens, 53. The trial was hotly contested.

Stevens had never been in trouble until Amarillo police arrested him for possessing less than 4 grams of marijuana. As a result of his HIV infection, Stevens suffers from nausea and cyclical vomiting syndrome, a condition so severe that he has required hospitalization and blood transfusions in the past.(more)

Letter to the editor: Marijuana legalization would make for safer society

2008-04-14T17:32:00.000-04:00

(from)
Regarding Mike Murphy's thoughtful April 2 column, if health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal.

Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents.

The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association.

Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best.

White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched government bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda. By raiding voter-approved medical marijuana providers in California, the very same federal Drug Enforcement Administration that claims illicit drug use funds terrorism is forcing cancer and AIDS patients into the hands of street dealers. Apparently marijuana prohibition is more important than protecting the country from terrorism.

Students who want to help end the intergenerational culture war otherwise known as the war on some drugs should contact Students for Sensible Drug Policy at www.schoolsnotprisons.com.

Robert Sharpe,
MPA policy analyst
Common Sense for Drug Policy

Comedian Doug Benson Offers NORML Supporters Free DVD of New Movie

2008-04-11T02:50:00.001-04:00

Los Angeles, CA: Longtime NORML supporter and comedian Doug Benson is offering NORML members the opportunity to host their own screenings for his new comedic documentary Super High Me. A parody of the well-known documentary Super Size Me, Super High Me is an experiment of the effects of medical cannabis on the human body.

As part of his journey, Doug smokes, eats and vaporizes medical marijuana for thirty consecutive days in order to get "Super High." But there is a catch–first Doug must go thirty days without any marijuana and undertake a number of tests, completing the same tests while medicated and while sober, in an effort to find out what marijuana does and how it really affects people.

The filmmakers are employing a revolutionary 'open access' marketing scheme to promote the film, and as such are pleased to offer free DVDs of the film to NORML chapters, members, and supporters, in order for them to have the opportunity to screen the film this April 20th.

Interested parties should direct their web browser to the film's website at www.superhighmemovie.com and register to host a screening or find an existing screening in your community.

For more information, contact NORML Outreach Coordinator Ron Fisher at (202) 483-5500.

As Frank prepares marijuana bill, states make own efforts

2008-04-09T07:28:00.002-04:00

By Matthew Huisman
Standard-Times correspondents
April 06, 2008 6:00 AM
and Jason Millman

WASHINGTON — Proponents of U.S. Rep. Barney Frank's proposal to legalize small amounts of marijuana are pointing to efforts in some states — including Massachusetts — to decriminalize the drug as evidence of public support for Rep. Frank's plan.

Rep. Frank, D-Mass., said recently that he will introduce two bills, one that would decriminalize possession of less than 100 grams — or 3.5 ounces — of marijuana and another that would grant protection to states that decide to allow medicinal use of marijuana.

"The public is now ready for this," Rep. Frank said in a telephone interview. "I have long thought it was foolish to have these laws on the books, but now as I look at the public opinion, it's clear that this is wanted."(more)

Researchers say marijuana is less of a drag than cigarettes

2008-04-09T07:22:00.000-04:00

A study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine was completed on 5,263 teenage students in Switzerland and is producing some hair raising results. In line with a lot of studies that have been released in 2007 and 2008, this study boldly claims that it has found that marijuana use does not produce the fearful symptoms spread by anti-drug groups. The study seems to make a case that teenagers who use only marijuana, opposed to students who use marijuana and cigarettes are more active in sports, have better grades, are more socially adept and have used less illegal drugs.(more)

Pro-marijuana legalization rally held at Univ. of Mich.

2008-04-09T07:18:00.000-04:00

4/5/2008, 4:58 p.m. EDT
The Associated Press

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Poet John Sinclair was the headliner at the 37th annual Hash Bash, a pro-marijuana legalization rally held on the University of Michigan campus.

Sinclair is known for the marijuana conviction that led to a 1971 "Free John Sinclair" rally at the university's Crisler Arena. That event featured the late John Lennon.

Sinclair spoke for about 15 minutes during Saturday's event, telling the crowd that people want drugs and want to get high "because it's all good."

Police tell The Ann Arbor News for a story posted on its Web site that no marijuana-related citations were issued, while one person was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Campus police estimate 1,200 to 1,500 people attended the event. The News puts the number closer to 2,000.

LA to FEDS: BACK OFF on Medical Marijuana!

2008-04-08T00:34:00.000-04:00

April 3rd, 2008 by Celeste Fremon

On Wednesday, the LA City Council passed a resolution that asks Federal law enforcement to mind its own damn business when it comes to medical marijuana.

More accurately, the resolution supports the state in its push to get the Feds to back off. Last August, the Council tried on its own when it passed the an ordinance to regulate and oversee the medical marijuana trade in LA, and politely asked the DEA to stop launching 100-agent raids on lawful clinics. But the DEA blithely ignored the request and kept on raiding the marijuana clinics anyway. “We’re just enforcing the law,” DEA spokeswoman Sara Pullen told me when I reported on the issue last summer for both WLA and the LA Weekly.. (I believe I mentioned to Pullen that I could personally point out a couple of meth-dealer locations, the raiding of which might be a better use of her agency’s time, but she declined to take me up on the offer.)

With Wednesday’s resolution, sponsored by Dennis Zine, Janice Hahn, and Bill Rosendahl, (the lone No vote from Greig Smith) the Council is trying a new strategy by calling for support of California State Senate Joint Resolution 20. The state resolution asks the President and Congress to enact legislation to require the DEA and all Federal agencies and departments to “respect the compassionate use laws of states”. SJR 20 also requests Federal law enforcement to enforce Federal medical marijuana laws in a manner consistent with the laws of the State of California.

California Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, was passed 12 years ago, yet still the DEA continues to raid clinics, and arrest patients, although the charges rarely stick.(more)

Marijuana for Pain Control

2008-04-08T00:20:00.000-04:00

As early as 2727 B.C., marijuana has been known to have medicinal properties. The Chinese used it to treat rheumatic pain, constipation, and menstrual cramps. Until 1942, marijuana was available in the U.S. by prescription.

The fact is that marijuana relieves pain. The evidence is that, a study published in Neurology last year, found that cannabis provides substantial relief from HIV related nerve pain. This was a study done at the University of CA in San Francisco by Dr. Donald Abrams who has researched marijuana for over a decade. Over a period of 2 years, 55 patients smoked either a cannabis cigarette or a placebo cigarette. The placebo smokers reported an 11% reduction of pain while the pot smokers experienced a 34% reduction in their nerve pain. These results showed that marijuana may be an alternative treatment in patients who can’t tolerate or don’t respond to the standard medications. It is also a wake-up call for the government to allow further research into the therapeutic use of marijuana for other types of pain management.(more here)

Marc Emery should not be extradited

2008-04-08T00:14:00.000-04:00

National Post Published: Monday, March 31, 2008

This editorial board has more than once presented its strongest moral case for the Canadian government to block the extradition of Marc Emery, the West Coast marijuana advocate who faces a possible life sentence south of the border for operating a mail-order seed business out of his Vancouver headquarters. It is our view that the differences in the two countries' handling of seed vendors make extraditing Emery a shameful abdication of judgment by the Canadian authorities.(more)

My own words. Don't get use to it, nobody reads these things.

2008-03-28T01:44:00.004-04:00

" A Chicago mother, watching her daughter die as an indirect result of marijuana addiction, told officers that at least fifty of the girl’s young friends were slaves to the narcotic. This means fifty unpredictables. They may cease its use; that is not so difficult as with some narcotics. They may continue addiction until they deteriorate mentally and become insane. Or they may turn to violent forms of crime, to suicide or to murder. Marijuana gives few warnings of what it intends to do to the human brain."

This is the bullshit our government fed us in the 30's. When they decided to prohibit marijuana use and hemp growing.

Do you own anything made by DuPont? Thank them, the dude(Harry J. Anslinger)who wrote the article that is from(link here), and William Randolf Hearst(a mexican hating, chain of newspapers owner) for having to worry about being locked up for enjoying a little weed, or even using it as medicine.

I do both. It keeps my head right(depression runs in my family big time, so does alcoholism) and I enjoy it. I don't care about getting busted for weed. I've been arrested for it at least 5 times so far.(knock on wood) I lost a few real good jobs. Did it make me stop?? Hell no, I smoked in jail and got another job. I just think it's messed up for our government to screw up our lives for no reason. Our government is supposed to work for us, not against us.

I think with the internet, and everyone who was alive in the 30's getting very old, now is the perfect time to get weed legalized or at least decriminalized. We tried before in the 70's but we gave up, then guess what happened. Crack Babies. It would be so easy now if every smoker gave a shit. About the time I decided to start actually working on my website ideas and everything(still working,don't hold your breath), I was watching Red Eye on Fox, and they were talking about having weed legalized, and some chick that was on there said something like " it will never happen, pot smokers will never unite". It made me realize 2 things. 1) she was right......so far at least. 2) if pot smokers did unite and show law makers we are serious, they would HAVE to change laws.

I seriously think more people smoke weed than don't. I know almost every friend I've had has taken at least a few puffs. Not to mention most of my family, co-workers, neighbors, random people I've run into, and even cops I have known. Shoot, the best thing Clinton did was admit he tried it. Now all kinds of politicians are admitting it(only because they have to). Do you know anyone who smokes? Do you think they should be locked behind bars, away from everything they love? I bet you know more smokers than you think you do.

Calling B.S. on the Idea of 'Marijuana Addiction'

2008-03-27T20:17:00.001-04:00

By Paul Armentano, AlterNet. Posted March 22, 2008.

It's laughable that the Feds are pushing the concept of pot addiction when science shows that withdrawal symptoms from caffeine are far worse.

The U.S. government believes that America is going to pot -- literally.

Earlier this month, the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse announced plans to spend $4 million to establish the nation's first-ever "Center on Cannabis Addiction," which will be based in La Jolla, Calif. The goal of the center, according to NIDA's press release, is to "develop novel approaches to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of marijuana addiction."

Not familiar with the notion of "marijuana addiction"? You're not alone. In fact, aside from the handful of researchers who have discovered that there are gobs of federal grant money to be had hunting for the government's latest pot boogeyman, there's little consensus that such a syndrome is clinically relevant -- if it even exists at all.(more)

Industrial Hemp Production and US Marijuana Prohibition

2008-03-25T02:55:00.002-04:00

During the years 1916-1937, William Randolph Hearst created a yellow journalism campaign to associate hemp with marijuana. Even though smoking hemp, like most fibres, will just make you sick, Hearst, along with his friend Pierre Dupont, succeeded in outlawing hemp in America. They actually robbed the world of an environmental cash crop.(read more at The Green Selection)

Rep. Frank says he'll file bill to legalize marijuana

2008-03-25T02:43:00.000-04:00

March 22, 2008

BOSTON—Rep. Barney Frank said he plans to file a bill to legalize "small amounts" of marijuana.
more stories like this

Frank announced his plans late Friday on the HBO show "Real Time," hosted by Bill Maher.

"I'm going to file a bill as soon as we go back to remove all federal penalties for the possession or use of small amounts of marijuana," Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, told Maher.

Frank didn't define "small amounts." Efforts to reach Frank on Saturday were not immediately successful.

Frank said he'd filed a similar bill in the Massachusetts Legislature in the 1970s, but hasn't tried since he was elected to Congress.

"I finally got to the point where I think I can get away with it," he said.

Frank said he thinks "its time for the politicians in this one to catch up to the public. The notion that you lock people up for smoking marijuana is pretty silly."

He told Maher he'd call the bill the "Make Room for Serious Criminals" bill.
© Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Supreme Court declines to review Garden Grove marijuana case

2008-03-20T22:06:00.000-04:00

March 19th, 2008 · Post a Comment · posted by rsrisavasdi
ocregister.com

The California Supreme Court today declined to review an appellate court ruling that ordered Garden Grove police to return seized medical marijuana from a patient, lawyers say.

Garden Grove police also had asked the court to unpublish its ruling, which the case would no longer be legally binding regarding other seizures, but the court rejected that appeal, according to Joe Elford, an attorney for the nonprofit group Americans for Safe Access.

In November, Felix Kha won the right to get his medical marijuana back from police when the state’s 4th District Court of Appeal ruled police officer illegally took away the pot from him.

Elford said the Supreme Court’s decisions affirms the rights of medical marijuana patients to possess the drug — and serves as a warning for law enforcement who may engage in such seizures.

– Rachanee Srisavasdi

Let's talk about marijuana

2008-03-19T19:09:00.001-04:00

By Kathleen Taylor

Special to The Times

THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION of Washington is launching a multimedia public-education campaign on the country's marijuana laws and their impact on taxpayers, communities and those arrested. As part of that effort, "Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation," hosted by travel writer Rick Steves, airs this month on local stations and is available free to Comcast On Demand subscribers in Western Washington. For more information: www.marijuanaconversation.org

A College student loses his financial aid because of a youthful indiscretion. A woman coping with the ravages of ovarian cancer lives in fear of being arrested for using what best eases her suffering. Across town, a front door bursts open and police rush in to handcuff a man relaxing in his living room.

These events have one thing in common: marijuana. Whether it is being kicked out of college for a youthful mistake, being denied relief from pain as a cancer patient, or getting arrested for personal use in one's home, marijuana laws have far-reaching consequences.

And these consequences are often totally disproportionate to whatever societal risk or danger marijuana use may pose.(more)

Lawmakers consider marijuana legalization

2008-03-19T18:15:00.001-04:00

By David Liscio/The Daily Item
BOSTON — The Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Judiciary, which includes three members of the Lynn delegation, meets today for a hearing on whether to decriminalize marijuana.

The Legislature is constitutionally required to conduct a hearing on the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy (CSMP) initiative that creates a civil penalty and fine system for individuals possessing up to an ounce of marijuana.

The initiative, House bill No. 4468, is titled “An Act Establishing a Sensible Marijuana Policy for the Commonwealth.”(more)

MARIJUANA PROHIBITION AND PUBLIC SAFETY

2008-03-19T18:04:00.000-04:00

By Frosty Wooldridge
March 17, 2008
NewsWithViews.com

After the first seven interviews with my brother Police Officer and Detective Howard Wooldridge of Lansing, Michigan (retired) concerning the “War on Drugs,” hundreds of readers responded. U.S. taxpayers do not understand the incredible deception perpetrated on them by the Drug War. You might even term it a “racket” by those who stand in the power corridors of Washington, DC.

Officer Wooldridge talked with Senator Biden (D-DE) last month. Senator Biden (D-DE) said at a hearing in February 2008 that drug prohibition touches 60 percent of all crime in America. Wooldridge advised to dramatically reduce crime, death, disease and drug use, the U.S. must end the prohibition approach on the 10 most used drugs.(more)

Why is Marijuana Illegal?

2008-03-19T16:45:00.004-04:00

http://marijuana.drugwarrant.com
A brief history of the criminalization of cannabis

Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings; that it was to protect the citizens from what was determined to be a dangerous drug.

The actual story shows a much different picture. Those who voted on the legal fate of this plant never had the facts, but were dependent on information supplied by those who had a specific agenda to deceive lawmakers. You'll see below that the very first federal vote to prohibit marijuana was based entirely on a documented lie on the floor of the Senate.(more)-bookmark this!

Weed Wars

2008-03-19T16:00:00.002-04:00

Marijuana as Medicine:
A smoldering debate moves mainstream

This is an old CNN site.

With more states considering approving the use of marijuana for medical purposes, the gray zones in this debate are becoming increasingly evident - especially since it's still against federal law to use, sell or grow marijuana.

In this section, we look at the background to the controversy, the implications of recent initiatives such as Prop. 200 and 215, the fears they have unleashed, and the promises that they hold.(more)

Scripps given $4M grant to study effects of marijuana

2008-03-17T22:13:00.000-04:00

By: North County Times wire service - | Saturday, March 15, 2008 12:58 AM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO -- The effects of chronic marijuana use will be studied by the Scripps Research Institute under a $4 million grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the institute announced today.

The grant will fund the formation of a Translational Center on the Clinical Neurobiology of Cannabis Addiction, touted as the first facility to study the neurobiology of marijuana dependence, according to Scripps.

"This is important information," said Barbara Mason, an investigator with Scripps. "People are deciding every day whether to use or not to use marijuana, for medical purposes or otherwise, and there is little scientific information to advise this decision."

According to Scripps, the goal of the research is to help develop new approaches toward the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of marijuana addiction.

Colorado 2031 - Marijuana Busts

2008-03-13T19:28:00.001-04:00

myfoxcolorado.com

This is a good interview.

FOX 31's Ron Zappolo talks with Mason Tvert, Executive Director of SAFER, a marijuana legalization group, about the increase in Marijuana arrests on the heels of the Denver initiative to de-criminalize small amounts of marijuana.(video)

SF: RESOLUTION CONDEMNS DEA LETTERS TO MARIJUANA DISPENSARY LANDLORDS

2008-03-06T18:26:00.000-05:00

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors today passed a resolution condemning federal authorities for sending letters to landlords of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city, notifying them of the possibility of imprisonment and seizure of their property.

The resolution was approved this afternoon by a 7 to 2 vote.

The resolution calls the letters - issued in December by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to about 50 Northern California landlords, some in San Francisco --"misguided and sensationally threatening harassment."

The resolution was authored by Supervisor Chris Daly and co-sponsored by supervisors Jake McGoldrick and Ross Mirkarimi.

According to the DEA, the letters were sent out "basically as a courtesy," informing landlords the cannabis clubs were operating on their property, constituting a violation of federal law, the penalty for which includes seizure of assets, including property, and up to 20 years in prison.

The resolution, which reaffirms San Francisco as "a sanctuary for medical cannabis," states that the DEA "has repeatedly subverted and undermined California's, and many other states', laws governing medical cannabis."

(more)

IL moves closer to legalizing medicinal marijuana

2008-03-06T18:20:00.000-05:00

Senate committee votes 6-4 in favor of legislation
IL Marijuana

Posted: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 at 5:05 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD, ILL. (AP) -- Illinois has taken a step toward legalizing the medical use of marijuana.

A state Senate committee Wednesday voted 6-4 to let people with debilitating illnesses like AIDS or cancer ease their symptoms with marijuana.

Democratic Senator John Cullerton says the vote offers "a glimmer of hope" that his legislation will be approved by the entire General Assembly. The committee approved similar legislation last year, but it was voted down by the full Senate.

The measure would let people possess marijuana if they have a doctor's permission. They could have up to eight cannabis plants and 2½ ounces of usable marijuana at a time.

Violating the law would carry tougher penalties than simple marijuana possession.

Technically, Illinois authorized medical marijuana in 1978. But implementation was left to the Public Health Department and it never took action, so the law has been in limbo.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Denver's Marijuana Policy Under Review

2008-03-06T18:02:00.001-05:00

myfoxcolorado.com

DENVER -- Three times since 2005 Denver voters have said they don't want people arrested or prosecuted for carrying less than an ounce of marijuana.

Wednesday, we learned police and prosecutors have not changed their policies. But that might be changing.

The Marijuana Policy Review Panel is charged with implementing the city's latest marijuna ordinance. On Wednesday, it introduced a resolution recommending the city attorney's office no longer seek conviction for petty marijuana cases.

The panel met at the Denver City and County building trying to find out why hundreds have been arrested since voters passed the three laws starting in 2005.

(more)

Depression: Medical Marijuana is a Successful Therapy

2008-03-03T19:54:00.000-05:00

Dr. Phillip Leveque Salem-News.com

Phillip Leveque has spent his life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician, Toxicologist and Pharmacologist. He has experience with 4,000 medical marijuana patients.

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - The Merck manual includes Depression in Psychiatric and Mood disorders in which anxiety and PTSD are also included. They show several pages of the why and wherefores so I'm not going into a psychiatric tirade.

I do feel there is an extensive overlap in all of these psychiatric conditions and I hope my point will become clear to the reader.

The Oregon Medical Marijuana Plan, (OMMP) did not include any psychological medical conditions which I felt was a sad mistake. If a patient tells a doctor that marijuana works for ANY condition, it is best if the doctor listens and pays attention.

(more)

One in every 99.1 adults is behind bars!

2008-03-03T16:56:00.001-05:00

Marijuana Policy Project

For the first time in the nation’s history, more than one in 100 American adults is behind bars, according to a new report.

Nationwide, the prison population grew by 25,000 last year, bringing it to almost 1.6 million. Another 723,000 people are in local jails. The number of American adults is about 230 million, meaning that one in every 99.1 adults is behind bars.

Incarceration rates are even higher for some groups. One in 36 Hispanic adults is behind bars, based on Justice Department figures for 2006. One in 15 black adults is, too, as is one in nine black men between the ages of 20 and 34.

(more)

I was thinking about going back to school

2008-02-27T17:14:00.001-05:00

You know you're in a different kind of college when a teaching assistant sets five marijuana plants down in the middle of a lab and no one blinks a bloodshot eye. Welcome to Oaksterdam University, a new trade school where "higher education" takes on a whole new meaning.

The school prepares people for jobs in California's thriving medical marijuana industry.

For $200 and the cost of two required textbooks, students learn how to cultivate and cook with cannabis, study which strains of pot are best for certain ailments, and are instructed in the legalities of a business that is against the law in the eyes of the federal government.

(more)

Should marijuana be legal for medical use?

2008-02-25T16:37:00.002-05:00

Vote here

Medical Marijuana Endorsed by US Doctors Group

2008-02-20T16:29:00.002-05:00

The second-largest group of doctors in the United States has approved Friday the use of marijuana for medical purposes, issuing a policy statement on medical marijuana this week.

The American College of Physicians, with 124,000 members, asked the U.S. government to cancel the ban on using marijuana for treating some patients or for medical experiments, stating that the research found that the non-smoked forms of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), (the main psychoactive element in marijuana), have been efficient in treating weight loss caused by AIDS, and nausea and vomiting pursuant to chemotherapy in cancer patients.

(more)

Medical marijuana group blasts Dillon drug bust

2008-02-20T16:25:00.001-05:00

Associated Press

DILLON, Mont. (AP) - A pro-medical-marijuana group says a large-scale marijuana bust this month, that law officers in Dillon touted as a major success, was instead the persecution of a terminally ill man, who needed the drug to help ease his suffering.

Patients and Families United, based in Helena says the police action won't stand up in court, thanks to Montana's 3-year-old Medical Marijuana Law.

(more)

Medical marijuana dispensaries may visit East Coast

2008-02-20T16:14:00.001-05:00

Authorized patients benefit from obtaining government regulated drug

(more)

ACLU of Wash. launches marijuana campaign - with Rick Steves

2008-02-20T15:34:00.001-05:00

SEATTLE (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington state is launching a new campaign to get people talking about changing marijuana laws, and it's enlisted travel writer Rick Steves in the effort.

Steves filmed a 30-minute video for the ACLU, in which he says he has traveled all over Europe, and he's learned that it makes more sense to treat marijuana use as a public health issue than it does to arrest people for using it.

The ACLU says it is trying to start a national conversation about whether American drug laws are working with regard to marijuana.

The organization says nearly 830,000 people are arrested on marijuana charges every year - 90 percent of them for possession - and that the U.S. spends far more money arresting, prosecuting and jailing people than it's worth.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Story Published: Feb 17, 2008 at 6:06 PM PST

Story Updated: Feb 17, 2008 at 6:06 PM PST

Marijuana: After 30 Years, Nebraska Legislator Wants to Recriminalize

2008-01-24T00:56:00.000-05:00

stopthedrugwar.org

For three decades, marijuana possession has been decriminalized in Nebraska, but now a state legislator has filed a bill, LB844, that would make it a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine. Currently, the maximum penalty for possession of less than one ounce is a $100 fine.

Nebraska is one of 12 states where marijuana possession has been decriminalized. Most of of them decriminalized in the 1970s, but Nevada joined the select group in 2001. A decriminalization initiative will go before Massachusetts voters this fall, and it appears the Vermont legislature may consider a move this year as well.

(more)

Check this out

2007-12-10T03:33:00.001-05:00

B Real has started a pro-weed networking site like myspace. He freaking rules!

Check it out here. Also make sure you add freethe420!

Are Cigarettes More of a Drag on Teens than Marijuana?

2007-11-14T23:26:00.000-05:00

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

New study shows that adolescents who toke up function better than those who also use tobacco

By Lisa Stein

Reefer madness? Apparently not, according to a new Swiss survey of students that concludes teenagers who smoke pot function better than those who also use tobacco. In addition, researchers at the University of Lausanne report in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, teens who only use marijuana are apparently more socially driven and have no more psychosocial problems than those who neither smoke nor toke.

The scientists surveyed 5,263 Swiss students (2,439 females) aged 16 to 20 years, including 455 who said they smoked weed only; 1,703 who reported being tobacco and marijuana users; and 3,105 who said they did not imbibe at all.

(more)

Feds Predict Major Drop in Marijuana Prices

2007-11-14T22:48:00.000-05:00

StoptheDrugWar.org

Unless you measure success by the number of people arrested, the failure of the war on marijuana is becoming more obvious than ever before. A new Department of Justice report, Drug Threat Assessment 2008, reveals that increased indoor cultivation is flooding the U.S. market with high quality marijuana. As a result, marijuana users may soon be getting more bud for their buck:

In the section, "Predictive Estimates," the report concludes:

Increased cannabis cultivation may result in reduced marijuana prices.
The recent increases in cannabis cultivation and marijuana production within the United States coincide with the continued flow of marijuana from foreign sources, which may lead to market saturation [in] major markets. This saturation could reduce the price of the drug significantly.

That's good news for marijuana enthusiasts and bad news for anyone invested in trying to eradicate America's #1 cash crop. Ironically, drug warriors have often cited increased potency as evidence that marijuana is becoming more harmful. This is all nonsense, because users adjust their dose to achieve the desired effect, just as an alcohol user might drink a 12 ounce beer, but not 12 ounces of vodka (not to mention the lack of evidence that marijuana is harmful even in large doses). Nevertheless, the real story here is that marijuana eradication efforts are failing to affect price and supply.

(more)

Farmers sue DEA for right to grow industrial hemp

2007-10-25T15:39:00.000-04:00

(CNN) -- The feds call industrial hemp a controlled substance -- the same as pot, heroin, LSD -- but advocates say a sober analysis reveals a harmless, renewable cash crop with thousands of applications that are good for the environment.

Two North Dakota farmers are taking that argument to federal court, where a November 14 hearing is scheduled in a lawsuit to determine if the Drug Enforcement Administration is stifling the farmers' efforts to grow industrial hemp. The DEA says it's merely enforcing the law.

(more)

Utah: Pot Odor Not Sufficient For Warrantless Search, Supreme Court Rules

2007-10-24T22:52:00.000-04:00

Salt Lake City, UT: The odor of burning marijuana emanating outside of a home does not grant law enforcement the authority to enter that residence without a warrant to search for contraband, the Utah Supreme Court recently ruled in a 4-1 decision.

The ruling affirms a 2005 Utah Court of Appeals decision determining that police improperly entered a private residence after reportedly smelling "marijuana leaking out of the cracks of the trailer."

(more)

Marijuana vs. Aspirin

2007-10-11T14:24:00.000-04:00

Most people use products that are more damaging to the body with out any thought to what they are doing to the body just because they were raised to think it is safe. Although heavy use of marijuana is not safe it is a lot safer than most of the common used drugs in today's market. This is article is a comparison of the effects of two popular pain killers, Marijuana and Aspirin.

Lets start with the history of Marijuana first. Marijuana can be traced back for thousands of years to almost every culture in the worlds history. Up until the Marijuana was prohibited by the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 the US Pharmacopoeia listed cannabis as the drug of choice for over 100 different diseases. This reference was the reference used by doctors since 1820. Cannabis was added to the US Pharmacopoeia in 1870. Since recorded history Marijuana has never been found to cause death by overdose.

The History of Aspirin is not so long and distinguished. Aspirin patented on March 6, 1889 by Bayer who also had the trademark for Heroin. Aspirin causes an average of 500 deaths per year. This is from a Medication that is used for pain and heart disease.

(article)

Proof people drive better stoned

2007-10-04T01:26:00.000-04:00

Research indicates teen marijuana use does not predict drug, alcohol abuse

2007-10-04T00:19:00.000-04:00

Marijuana is not a "gateway" drug that predicts or eventually leads to substance abuse, suggests a 12-year University of Pittsburgh study. Moreover, the study's findings call into question the long-held belief that has shaped prevention efforts and governmental policy for six decades and caused many a parent to panic upon discovering a bag of pot in their child's bedroom.

The Pitt researchers tracked 214 boys beginning at ages 10-12, all of whom eventually used either legal or illegal drugs. When the boys reached age 22, they were categorized into three groups: those who used only alcohol or tobacco, those who started with alcohol and tobacco and then used marijuana (gateway sequence) and those who used marijuana prior to alcohol or tobacco (reverse sequence).

Science Daily (complete story)

Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting

2007-10-03T16:04:00.000-04:00

"I'd always done a lot of glue as a kid. I was very interested in glue, and then I went to lager and speed, and I drifted into heroin because as a kid growing up everybody told me, 'Don't smoke marijuana, it will kill you.'"

Legalize pot group wants Broncos to court Ricky Williams

2007-10-02T23:44:00.000-04:00

Billboard encourages Broncos to court Ricky Williams

Im so HIGH !

2007-10-02T04:32:00.000-04:00

Ron Paul Blasts the War on Drugs

2007-09-26T13:34:00.001-04:00

Prince of Pot on CBC News

2007-09-25T23:43:00.001-04:00

One Arrest Every 38 seconds

2007-09-25T21:22:00.000-04:00

Marijuana Arrests For Year 2006 - 829,625 Tops Record High... Nearly 15 Percent Increase Over 2005

Squiggy On Marijuana

2007-09-25T17:45:00.000-04:00

Marijuana Extract Fights Brain Cancer in Mice

2007-09-25T16:57:00.000-04:00

Scientific American - August 17, 2004

Abraham Lincoln

2007-09-25T12:11:00.000-04:00

“This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it.
Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary
right to dismember or overthrow it.”

If I were allowed to vote, I'd vote Ron Paul

2007-09-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

Wasting our Tax Money

2007-09-25T11:12:00.000-04:00

Approximately 50% of all drug enforcement money, federal and state, during the last 60 years has been directed toward marijuana!

Some 70-80% of all persons now in federal and state prisons in America wouldn't have been there as criminals until just 60 or so years ago. In other words we, in our (Anslinger and Hearst inspired) ignorance and prejudice, have placed approximately 800,000 of the 1.2 million people in American prisons (as of August 4, 1998) for crimes that were, at worst, minor habits, up until the Harrison Act, 1914 (whereby the U.S. Supreme Court in 1924 first ruled that drug addicts weren't sick, they were instead vile criminals).

Eighty percent of these government "War on Drugs" victims were not dealing. They have been incarcerated for simple possession. And this does not include the quarter of a million more in county jails.

Remember, just 20 years ago, in 1978, before the "War on Drugs," there were only 300,000 persons in American prisons for all crimes combined.

-From

The Emperor Wears No Clothes

by Jack Herer

This book is available online free at jackherer.com.

Funny

2007-09-21T16:48:00.001-04:00

"Where's the Weed At?"

2007-09-21T14:46:00.000-04:00

Why is Marijuana Illegal?

2007-09-05T03:13:00.000-04:00

A brief history of the criminalization of cannabis

Top 10 !!

2007-09-02T02:44:00.000-04:00

10 reasons marijuana should be legal

MARIJUANA FACTS

2007-09-02T02:35:00.000-04:00

Cultivated for medicinal and recreational purpose for thousands of years, marijuana became controversial in the United States in the early 1900s, when Americans began to associate its use with Mexican revolutionaries and black musicians.

Known by the scientific name “Cannibis sativa,” marijuana is one of the oldest psychoactive plants known to man.

Utah passed the first state marijuana ban in 1915; the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act sparked a nationwide crackdown.

There were 786,545 marijuana-related arrests in 2005, more than for all violent crimes combined.

About 43 percent of all drug-related arrests in 2005—about 800,000 individual cases—stem from marijuana violations.

At least 12 states now allow the use of medical marijuana.

Sources: FBI, Marijuana Policy Project

420-Cool Video

2007-08-29T16:58:00.001-04:00

First-Time Marijuana Charge Dies In DC Jail

2007-08-29T15:34:00.000-04:00

norml